samaaron

For the record I didn’t use LLMs to write this tutorial.

Oh amazing - thank-you so much for your kind and generous support! I can only do this work because of people such as yourself. Thanks!

For the record, this isn't an official Sonic Pi web version - it's an LLM rewrite by a fan.

Good points -I’ll clarify the LICENSE along those lines when I’m back from a family holiday. I’ll also look to move the recommended web deployment to an isolated-origin model with the same separation as the native out-of-process case.

Worth noting for context: SuperSonic is quite a bit more than the scsynth module - both it and the Link module are optional. A build without them contains no GPL code and carries no GPL obligations.

Yes, SuperSonic (the new internal synth and IO engine) specifically targets embedded devices, so expect some fun announcements in the future!

SuperSonic started life as an experiment side project and was the first successful AudioWorklet port of scsynth. When I got it working I shared it with the SuperCollider community with the hope that some form of contribution collaboration might happen but there didn’t seem to be much interest - and mostly friction possibly due to the fact that I had made use of LLMs to navigate and study the original code base. They then built their own audioworklet version which they merged into mainline. That was a signal for me to continue independently which I did - subsequently adding native and embedded targets to SuperSonic.

Sonic Pi uses the native version which includes substantial improvements specifically for the use case for Sonic Pi (schools and beginner ergonomics) vs pro audio workflows.

Also I definitely intend to keep things compatible where feasible and have already done this since November 2025.

Thanks for your kind support!

Fair - the aggregate clause does say “larger program” so I overstated. However, it doesn’t define combination, and “based on the Program” is defined in section 0 via copyright permission - which is why I keep returning to copyright rather than mechanism.

The JS client doesn’t call into scsynth code. In postMessage mode the client and the engine run in separate execution contexts with no shared memory, exchanging serialised OSC - the browser enforces that boundary the same way the kernel does between processes on a socket.

Also, the JS and Erlang clients are entirely my own code and copyright surely their licence isn’t in question. I think the question you’re actually raising is what obligations fall on users who combine their software with SuperSonic. You already state that my approach in Sonic Pi is fine.

> You are going to great lengths to make sure that SuperSonic (and thus scsynth) can be used from non-GPL code

Sure because it’s my understanding that using a clearly documented protocol that doesn’t share internal data structures does not constitute a derivative work. I’m not trying to change anything rather make the boundary clear.

>They clearly form a single combined program and therefore must comply with the GPL.

I don’t think that this is necessarily the case - if the shape of the architectural boundary is the same as the networked OSC case then I think it’s very reasonable to argue that its aggregation and not derivative. I don’t believe the gpl actually states anything about process boundaries or linking mechanisms. Rather it’s generally the advice that a compiled work is derivative as it likely does share internal data structures etc.

I also don’t quite know what licenses you’re asking me to change. The parts of SuperSonic that derive from scsynth are clearly licensed gpl. The parts that are my copyright are clearly licensed MIT.

I’m really not trying to circumnavigate anything. I’m just trying to assert that calling gpl software over a clearly documented and formal boundary that does not share internal data structures doesn’t trigger the gpl - regardless of linking or process specifics. The issue is about copyright not implementation details.

Congratulations on you anniversary! I’m so happy to hear that Sonic Pi helps you connect together with music. It makes me smile :-)

Thanks also for your kind support.

Awesome to hear! So glad you had fun with it :-)